South AfricaEven if they catch the first antelope, the leopard cannot eat the prey because hyenas and crocodiles compete for it.
During a visit to Marloth Park, adjacent to Kruger National Park, South Africa, Travis Carreira filmed an unusual encounter between antelope and predators, Latest Sightings reported on March 27. During the day, his friends watched a leopard attempt to hunt in the park but failed. At sunset, Carreira went to the spot where the leopard was last seen, hoping to see it.
In the end, Carreira not only saw a leopard but also spotted a hyena nearby. Moments later, a herd of impalas appeared and moved towards the hyenas. Realizing a dramatic scene might be about to unfold, Carreira began recording. Just then, the leopard rushed out and caught a gazelle.
“The hyena tried to catch another impala but was unsuccessful. Somewhat discouraged, he turned his attention to the leopard. Seeing that the leopard had succeeded, the hyena thought that stealing the prey would easier than trying to hunt again,” Carreira recounted.
The hyena quickly rushed forward and snatched the antelope right from the leopard’s mouth. The antelope was still alive and the “bandit” began to drag it up the hill to a safe place to eat. The hyena grabs its prey very tightly, so even though it is still struggling, the antelope cannot escape.
“Then two large crocodiles, perhaps attracted by the commotion, crawled up from the river and complicated the situation. The larger crocodile rushed straight towards the antelope, who was still struggling. waving under the hyena’s jaws. When it caught the antelope, the crocodile crushed it with its powerful jaws and that was the end of the antelope’s life,” Carreira said.
Leopards, the first hunters, are afraid of both hyenas and crocodiles, so they only make a half-hearted attempt to recapture their prey and fail. The chaos continued to attract another hyena, which seemed larger and more confident than the previous one. The newcomer immediately rushed towards the crocodile and grabbed the antelope, trying to steal the prey. Having its own kind, the first hyena also became more confident and joined the struggle. They tried to steal their prey back, but there was only a little left because most of it had been dealt with by crocodiles.
impala (Aepyceros melampus) is a medium-sized antelope that lives in grasslands and open forests in eastern and southern Africa. They have long legs, long necks, and twisted horns on their heads. The impala is a herbivore with its main diet consisting of leaves, bark and tree trunks. They are prey for many animals such as lions, leopards, hyenas and African wild dogs. Living in groups helps them better defend against predators.